Since the early 1970s, death rates for the major gynecological tumors have significantly declined, with a reduction of 42% for endometrial, 49% for cervix, 27% for vagina and vulva, and 11% for ovarian cancer. Thus, of the approximately 82,000 new gynecologic cases each year, more women will be living and, necessarily be forced to cope with psychological or behavioral morbidity. Psychosocial data on cancer patients portray significant fear and anxiety with diagnosis and treatments and the potential for high levels of psychological and sexual morbidity. While many studies have been done investigating sexual outcomes, little data is available on basic domains of quality of life, i.e. emotional or social adjustment, occupational outcomes, or aspects of physical health that might influence quality of life for gynecologic cancer survivors. There is a need for basic descriptive research in these areas, particularly in investigations that include representative samples from differing socioeconomic and racial/ethnic groups.

The goal of the proposed study is to evaluate quality of life in long-term gynecologic cancer survivors. The specific aims are to:

Describe quality of life (both mental health and physical functioning components), stress, and sexual functioning among survivors of gynecologic malignancies and

It has been shown with other cancer groups that improvements in mood and coping can be achieved with brief, cost effective interventions (e.g. ten therapy hours with delivery in a group format). These are multi-modal interventions with stress reduction, disease/treatment information, cognitive behavioral coping strategies, and social support. There is suggestive evidence that disease specific interventions, such as including sexual therapies for gynecologic patients, can result in improvements as well. Research focus on these issues is aided by the availability of reliable and valid strategies to assess both quality of life (SF-36; FACT) and sexuality. Before clinical trials are undertaken, research must provide a comprehensive assessment of quality of life for gynecologic cancer survivors.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

20 Years to 75 Years

Genders Eligible for Study:

Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Female participants diagnosed with gynecologic cancer

Participants between the ages of 20 and 75 years old, inclusive

Participants previously treated for all stages (I-IV) of the following cancers: cervix; endometrium; ovary; vulva; vagina; and other genital cancers

Participants receiving treatment for their primary cancer in the past 2-10 years

Participants who refused all forms of cancer treatment, whether standard of care or experimental.

Participants with deficient ability to read/speak English

Participants residing >90 miles from the research site

Participants diagnosed with dementia

Participants diagnosed with pregnancy

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00391664